In a video released via social media, former NFL punter Pat McAfee announced that he and Brett Favre have resolved their litigation.
As we previously reported here on eWn, Favre filed a lawsuit against McAfee and NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, accusing them both of defamation.
The defamation lawsuit arose from comments McAfee made on his show in relation to a Mississippi welfare scandal in which Favre’s name was included.
Favre had claimed that McAfee made “defamatory allegations” about him relating to the scandal.
According to McAfee’s statement, Brett Favre has withdrawn the lawsuit. He said,
“Hello beautiful. I’m coming to you live from my humble abode. Welcome to my casa. As many of you know, Brett Favre sued me over statements that I made on this program. As I confirmed in my court papers and I repeat here, my statements, expressed in comedic style, were based solely on public information and allegations. As I have previously stated, I respect the hell out of Brett Favre the football player and his Hall of Fame career on the field, and I have no personal knowledge about any case about Brett in Mississippi. I am pleased to report that based solely on me again clarifying these points now, with no settlement paid, Bret is withdrawing his suit against me. I would much rather talk about sports than about lawsuits. So I’m glad we have all of this behind us. We now move on.”
Favre later tweeted,
“I’m happy that Pat McAfee and I have settled this litigation. Like Pat said, he was attempting to be funny and not commenting based on any personal knowledge. We’d both much rather talk about football.”
Favre was named as one of the parties in the lawsuit by the state of Mississippi regarding misspent funds.
He was part of a volleyball wellness center at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he helped raise funds.
The facility received a $5 million grant from a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) fund, which was restricted under the statutory rules.
Favre received $1.1 million for fundraising, which he reportedly returned but never paid back the interest, making him a party to the lawsuit.
Favre previously denied having any knowledge that the funds designated for welfare recipients were going to him or the university. He has not been criminally charged.
Full update on the Brett Favre lawsuit: pic.twitter.com/wmZfVKcNji
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 11, 2023
I'm happy that Pat McAfee and I have settled this litigation. Like Pat said, he was attempting to be funny and not commenting based on any personal knowledge. We'd both much rather talk about football.
— Brett Favre (@BrettFavre) May 11, 2023
